The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-03-30
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Notes on the Lesson for April
3--"Jcseph Sold Into
Egypt"


thirty seyenth chapter of Genesis, verses
twenty-three to thirty-six. Time, 1929
b. c., about ten years after the events of
the last lesson. Place, Dothan, Hebron,
Egypt
SPECIAL MENTION.
DothGn. The sale of Joseph occurred
near Dothan, which is about sixteen miles
north and little east of Shechem, where
he expected to lind his brethren. The town
stood on hill, with plain south and west
of 1t. 1t Is now n total ruin, nothing being
left but heaps of building stones where the
houses stood. The name means tlcO ireits,
and there are still two wells, affording an
abundance of water, in the plain TO the
south. The distance of Do han from He
bron, the home of Jacob, was about seventy
miles, long journey IN those days for
boy of seventeen. STANDARD Feel. Comm. }
IshmGehtes Descendants of Ishmael,
Abrahams son by Hagar; called also Mi
dianites and Mechanics, descendants of
INDIAN and Medan. Abrahams sons by
heturah. Since all these tribes, descended
from Abraham, were so closely related,
followed the same mode of life, were con-
tinually changing their residence, and APP
pear here as traders; not as tribes, and
that, too, TO persons entirely unacquainted
with them, We should not wonder at con-
fusion in the application of different names.
prof. w. X. harper)
Oriental Mourning Customs. ReRding
clothes. Rending the clothes as token of
grief is very ancient custom, and is re-
ferred TO in the Bible. (See Josh. Z: s:
Sam. 4: II; 2 Sam. l. IL; 3: 81; 2 Kings
3 II; 10: 81; -: !; Ezra 8: 3; Job L: ~
A Jewish writer, quoted by Burder, says
that this ceremony was performed in the
following manner: They take knife,
and holding the blade downward, do give
the upper garment cut on the right side,
and then rend it hands breadth. This is
done for the five following relations:
brother, sister, son, daughter, or wifi; but
for father or mother the rent is on the left
side, and in all the garments" Wear
ing sGckciOh. Sackcloth was generally
made of the hair of goats or of
camels and was coarse and black. it was
used for straining liquids, for sacks aud Tor
mourning garments. When used for
mourning il was sometimes worn next to
the skin, which it mus have chafed by its
harshness, ana at other times it was hung
like n sack over the outer garments, or in
stead of them. A girdle of similar mate
rial confined its loose folds. Ahab, on one
occasion, appears TO have worn sackcloth
next to his skin all night (See Kings 21:
27) In Rev. g: II, III the darkness accom-
panying an earthquake, the sun is said to
have become las black as sackcloth of
hair" tFreeman.)
Joseph as tBpe Of Christ. Joseph has
been recognized by most Christian inter-
prefers as a type OF Christ: in his father S
love for him, III his being sent to his
brethren, rejected by them, sold to the
Gentiles, delivered to death; in the sanctty
of his life, in his humiliation, in his ex-
altation to be prince and n Savior; the
counsels OF his brethren to prevent the full
fllment of his dreams, like the counsels of
the Jews TO prevent the fulfillment of the
prophecies concerning Jesus, only served
to bring about Gods counsels. browne
Egypt and its ruler. AphOphis was the
Pharaoh, or king, of Egypt at this time.
He was the last king Of the fifteenth dy-
nasty zone of the Shepherd of Hyksos
kings. His name signifies "a giant. He
reigned sixty-one years. Apnophis lett
Egypt by far the richest and most flourish
ing kingdom that had then appeared upon
the earth. 1t is historically true (trom
the monuments, and the inscriptions
on the tomb of Joseph of Sakkarah)
that Joseph was sold into Egypt as q
slave, and that he was afterward prime
minister to Pharaoh Aphophis. So nearly
all the authorities. Wilkinson puts the ar
rival of Joseph b. G. l706, under Osirte-
sen l., of the sixteenth dynasty. Ancient
! Egyptidns vol. i. y. 30. But they very
nearly agree; and there were, about this
time, contemporary monarchs, of different
| dynasties, in Lower and Upper Egypt
probably from the thirteenth to seventeenth
dynasti es. Both may be right. (Osburn.
LESSON LINK.
The meeting of Jacob and Esau was
| happy one. Both brothers seemed anxious
! for peace and therefore reconciliation was
! instantly effected. Jacob then pursued his
journey to the west, crossing the River Jor-
dan and camping at Shechem. After this
he went to Bethel, by the command of God
! to perform such vows as he had made wher
fleeing from heme. Shortly after this
Benjamin was born and Rachel died. Pur-
suing his journey, Jacob at length came tC
Mamre, the encampment of his father
Isaac. Here Isaac died, aged one hundred
and eighty, and thirteen years after JOSEPH
was sold into Egypt
The story of Joseph is n familiar one &c
many. The illustrations it affords of East.
| ern and Egyptian manners are both in
teresting and full of confirmation as e
Holy Writ. Intended for the shepherd
life, Joseph first comes before us rs learn.
ing the craft, undev bis half brothers, the
sons of Bilhah and Zilplh. He seems &c
have incurred their hatred by letting thei
father know their manner of life. Yet {
youth, perhaps about seventeen. simpl,
and pure, he was naturally favorte Will
Jacob, who must now have been at lelst
hundred years old, nor did the fondness oil
age try 10 hide its partially. Sad. indeed
must have been the story of Joseph dealt
to Jacob.
The connecting links between the las
lesson and this will BE found as follows
|. The meeting between jacob and Esar
(xxxiii. l-16). 2. Jacob at Shechen
| (xxxiii. Is; xxxiv. 81. 3. Jacob at Bethe
(xxxv. 1-15l. 4. The death of Rache
(xxxv. 16-20) though, chronologically
this belongs to later date. .. The dealt
of Isaac (xxxv. 1920. STANDARD Eccl
Comm
sEED-TRUTHS AND GERM-THoUGHTs.
/. Envy is the fruitful mother of man,
sins.
2. Sin will make wild beasts even o
brothers.
3. We should challenge ourselves Il
show the "proft" Of our acts ". 26).
t. OF two evils choose-netther ". 90
5. Uncon cious instruments of divin
providence ". 2S).
6. What n harvest quickly grows iron
one seed SIM
z. The hardening and brutalizing effect
| 70 DIN Y Dhl